LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday suspended the operation of notices issued to four officials of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) by an inquiry commission probing into the allegations of sexual harassment levelled against them by a complainant, Tayyaba Gul.

Justice Anwaar Hussain issued the stay order on a joint petition filed by NAB’s Deputy Director Muhammad Imran, Additional Director Kashif Masroor, Assistant Director Farrukh Hayat and Sub-Inspector (SI) Muhammad Latif.

During the hearing, the petitioners’ counsel Safdar Shaheen Pirzada argued that the impugned notices issued to the petitioners were illegal and liable to be set aside.

He argued that all the acts done in good faith as NAB officials were protected under the law as envisaged by section 36 of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999.

He said the ‘frivolous’ allegations were below the human dignity and at the same time the purpose of the “mudslinging” by the complainant woman was only to get fame in media/social media.

The counsel asked the court to set aside the impugned notices issued by the inquiry commission to the petitioners.

The judge, however, suspended the notices and sought replies form the respondents by Thursday (today).

The federal government had formed the commission to investigate into the allegations of “sexual offences, including assault, harassment, outraging and insulting modesty, misconduct, misuse and abuse of authority” made by Ms Gul against former NAB chairman Javed Iqbal, DG Saleem Shahzad and others.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2022